A CONTROVERSIAL dog ban in place at Whitby Beach has been overturned by Scarborough Borough Council.

Councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of reinstating the 2017 boundaries for dog-walking around Whitby Beach.

Cllr Bill Chatt, cabinet member for public health and housing, said that dog mess was “one of the biggest issues I deal with on this council”.

He said responsibility for dog fouling should rest solely with the animal’s owner.

“Blame who you want...the true fact is the dog owners who don’t pick up the mess, it’s they who are at fault,” he said. “Dog mess is a responsibility of everybody who owns a dog. (We) can’t blame holiday makers for what happens in winter time … that’s local people.”

He also pledged to “name and shame” those caught neglecting their duties as a dog owner.

“We will catch them, we will find them and we will name and shame where possible.”

The move reverses a decision by the council in 2018 that saw exclusion boundaries around the beach extended by about 150 metres in an effort to tackle dog fouling.

The move was criticised by dog walkers, who said it meant they could only access the beach by a steep set of stairs following the change.